Creativity: By interjecting a little fun into the classroom, students can get excited about learning. By presenting material in an interactive and educational way, students will tend to remember information more consistently. Also, by encouraging creativity students will be challenged to use their imagination and reach outside the box.
1. Thinking tools: Thinking tools are tools that encourage children to think out of the box and help strengthen their analytical thinking skills. You can build up a child’s creativity by giving them practice thinking in new and different ways. These tools teach children that the solution to a problem is not always obvious and if you look at the world from different perspectives you may find the solution to your problem.
Games that encourage analytical thinking: These games are not your standard video games that require strong motor skills and provide very little education to the students. These games focus on exploration and problem solving. Children learn to manipulate the environment in order to solve a problem. The answer to these problems is not always obvious and often requires trial and error to get to the end point. Many of these games have problems that can be solved in several different ways. The games may also include humor and animation that sparks the interest of the children while secretly strengthening their ability to reason and think analytically. There is not always a problem and some games focus more on exploration. o Samorost: You control a character inside a space ship and you must explore and interact with objects inside the ship in order to get to your target destination. o Machinarium: A game by the creators of Samorost that involves a robot interacting with its environment. o Invention at play: A bunch of thinking and problem solving games. o Puzzles4you: More logic puzzle
Resources that help children solve their own problems: These websites consist of methods of allowing children to solve a problem they may have. These sites help children organize their thinking in order to reach the desired answer to their problem as well as allowing others to offer suggestions, which may be helpful. o Solvr: Takes a student’s problem and helps solve it step by step o DecideAlready: Helps guide a group make a decision
Resources that help children look at intems in a different way: Kids may know facts about a topic while at the same time not truly understanding the ideas. A way to help truly understand a topic is to look at the topic in a new way. One way of doing this is to compare and contract with similar topics. o Diffen: Compare and contrast any two things
2. Games: These games differ from thinking tools in that thinking tools were less of a game and more of a way to explore and interact with your environment in order to solve a problem. These games have a clear objective that needs to be accomplished. Many of these games require the students to use creative thinking in order to solve the problem.
Trivia and Quizzes: These games aim to test the student’s knowledge by asking them trivia questions, riddles, logic problems and other questions that have a right or wrong answer. o ClassTools.net: This site helps you create educational games, diagrams and activities to use in your class. The site also offers many premade material that covers a wide variety of subjects and topics. o Braingle: Brain teasers, Trivia, Riddles
Motor Skill and problem solving games: · These are games do not have a right or wrong answer. They often require a problem that you must solve by manipulating the environment. They are games that require problem solving of a specific problem. A lot of these games use physics and math. This way you have a game that is fun for children that also includes learning activities. o Magic Pen: This is a game in which you draw objects in an environment, which help guide a ball to its target. o Iminlikewithyou: More games, Puzzles, jigsaws and building games o Secretbuilders: A game where you solve quests and complete activities. o Fantastic Contraption: A game in which you solve problems using physics and math o PlayAuditorium: Another math and physics game.
3. Simulators: Simulators are not games in the sense that they do not have a problem the user needs to accomplish. They give students an opportunity to use their creativity to build and design objects that interact with an environment. Through trial and error they can alter their creation to accomplish what they want.
o Golemgame: A physic simulator. You can create all kinds of objects like robots, spaceships, catapults and cannons. o Lego Digital Designer: A LEGO simulator for the computer o Powder Toy: Another Physics Simulator.
4. Classroom Activities: Your students are bored, falling asleep at their desks and completely not interested in what you’re talking about. What do you do? Well, there are many tools out there to “jazz up” your lesson plans with interactive, fun classroom activities. Check some of these ideas out:
Great for art, interior design, and for teachers themselves. o Classroom Architect: Outline your classroom. Ideal for seating charts and group project organizing. o Livebrush: Ideal for a design student or art class. Create masterpieces with the stroke of your mouse. Very fun and very addictive! o YourFonts: Create your own font. o Flip-Text: Add a unique touch to your work of art.
Ideal for science classes. o EdHeads: A fun, interactive activity for science classes. Students can participate in virtual surgeries and gain some “hands on” experience right from their very own computer. o Adventure Land: Like choose your own adventure. Learn problem solving and decision making skills.
Educational activity for math classes. o The Eyeballing Game: Ideal for math teachers. This activity teaches students about angles and other geometric features. o Sculptypaint: Build a 3-D polygon using this program. o What 2 Learn: Fun activities for young students to engage in their learning.
5. Animations: Not sure how to present your new lesson? Have a really cool science experiment that you want to show your students? Using animations can jazz up your lesson!
Activities for young children to participate in o GoAnimate: Create your own life-like cartoons. o GoAnimate for Schools: Learn about literature by interacting with other cartoons in this interactive, animated activity. Re-engage your students and help them think on their own. o Claymation: Create your own little characters using clay to act out presentations and activities.
Animations for teachers and student presentations o SAM Animation: Create stop-action animations to demonstrate. For this one, I encourage you to check it out at, http://www.samanimation.com/. This could be very beneficial for many different types of lessons and could be a great presentation option for students to demonstrate their understanding of material.
6. Games and Applications: Play games already created by users, as the teacher create your own games for your classroom, or students can create their own games! Learning can be fun and games can be educational! Some places on the web that can help: o Sharendipity o Scratch o PlayCrafter o Gamemaker o Sploder
Creativity: By interjecting a little fun into the classroom, students can get excited about learning. By presenting material in an interactive and educational way, students will tend to remember information more consistently. Also, by encouraging creativity students will be challenged to use their imagination and reach outside the box.
1. Thinking tools: Thinking tools are tools that encourage children to think out of the box and help strengthen their analytical thinking skills. You can build up a child’s creativity by giving them practice thinking in new and different ways. These tools teach children that the solution to a problem is not always obvious and if you look at the world from different perspectives you may find the solution to your problem.
Games that encourage analytical thinking:
These games are not your standard video games that require strong motor skills and provide very little education to the students. These games focus on exploration and problem solving. Children learn to manipulate the environment in order to solve a problem. The answer to these problems is not always obvious and often requires trial and error to get to the end point. Many of these games have problems that can be solved in several different ways. The games may also include humor and animation that sparks the interest of the children while secretly strengthening their ability to reason and think analytically. There is not always a problem and some games focus more on exploration.
o Samorost: You control a character inside a space ship and you must explore and interact with objects inside the ship in order to get to your target destination.
o Machinarium: A game by the creators of Samorost that involves a robot interacting with its environment.
o Invention at play: A bunch of thinking and problem solving games.
o Puzzles4you: More logic puzzle
Resources that help children solve their own problems:
These websites consist of methods of allowing children to solve a problem they may have. These sites help children organize their thinking in order to reach the desired answer to their problem as well as allowing others to offer suggestions, which may be helpful.
o Solvr: Takes a student’s problem and helps solve it step by step
o DecideAlready: Helps guide a group make a decision
Resources that help children look at intems in a different way:
Kids may know facts about a topic while at the same time not truly understanding the ideas. A way to help truly understand a topic is to look at the topic in a new way. One way of doing this is to compare and contract with similar topics.
o Diffen: Compare and contrast any two things
2. Games: These games differ from thinking tools in that thinking tools were less of a game and more of a way to explore and interact with your environment in order to solve a problem. These games have a clear objective that needs to be accomplished. Many of these games require the students to use creative thinking in order to solve the problem.
Trivia and Quizzes:
These games aim to test the student’s knowledge by asking them trivia questions, riddles, logic problems and other questions that have a right or wrong answer.
o ClassTools.net: This site helps you create educational games, diagrams and activities to use in your class. The site also offers many premade material that covers a wide variety of subjects and topics.
o Braingle: Brain teasers, Trivia, Riddles
Motor Skill and problem solving games:
· These are games do not have a right or wrong answer. They often require a problem that you must solve by manipulating the environment. They are games that require problem solving of a specific problem. A lot of these games use physics and math. This way you have a game that is fun for children that also includes learning activities.
o Magic Pen: This is a game in which you draw objects in an environment, which help guide a ball to its target.
o Iminlikewithyou: More games, Puzzles, jigsaws and building games
o Secretbuilders: A game where you solve quests and complete activities.
o Fantastic Contraption: A game in which you solve problems using physics and math
o PlayAuditorium: Another math and physics game.
3. Simulators: Simulators are not games in the sense that they do not have a problem the user needs to accomplish. They give students an opportunity to use their creativity to build and design objects that interact with an environment. Through trial and error they can alter their creation to accomplish what they want.
o Golemgame: A physic simulator. You can create all kinds of objects like robots, spaceships, catapults and cannons.
o Lego Digital Designer: A LEGO simulator for the computer
o Powder Toy: Another Physics Simulator.
4. Classroom Activities: Your students are bored, falling asleep at their desks and completely not interested in what you’re talking about. What do you do? Well, there are many tools out there to “jazz up” your lesson plans with interactive, fun classroom activities. Check some of these ideas out:
Great for art, interior design, and for teachers themselves.
o Classroom Architect: Outline your classroom. Ideal for seating charts and group project organizing.
o Livebrush: Ideal for a design student or art class. Create masterpieces with the stroke of your mouse. Very fun and very addictive!
o YourFonts: Create your own font.
o Flip-Text: Add a unique touch to your work of art.
Ideal for science classes.
o EdHeads: A fun, interactive activity for science classes. Students can participate in virtual surgeries and gain some “hands on” experience right from their very own computer.
o Adventure Land: Like choose your own adventure. Learn problem solving and decision making skills.
Educational activity for math classes.
o The Eyeballing Game: Ideal for math teachers. This activity teaches students about angles and other geometric features.
o Sculptypaint: Build a 3-D polygon using this program.
o What 2 Learn: Fun activities for young students to engage in their learning.
5. Animations: Not sure how to present your new lesson? Have a really cool science experiment that you want to show your students? Using animations can jazz up your lesson!
Activities for young children to participate in
o GoAnimate: Create your own life-like cartoons.
o GoAnimate for Schools: Learn about literature by interacting with other cartoons in this interactive, animated activity. Re-engage your students and help them think on their own.
o Claymation: Create your own little characters using clay to act out presentations and activities.
Animations for teachers and student presentations
o SAM Animation: Create stop-action animations to demonstrate. For this one, I encourage you to check it out at, http://www.samanimation.com/. This could be very beneficial for many different types of lessons and could be a great presentation option for students to demonstrate their understanding of material.
6. Games and Applications: Play games already created by users, as the teacher create your own games for your classroom, or students can create their own games! Learning can be fun and games can be educational! Some places on the web that can help:
o Sharendipity
o Scratch
o PlayCrafter
o Gamemaker
o Sploder